What five words would you use to describe an older person? If you are like me, they wouldn’t be very complimentary.
What if how you perceive aging and look upon older people would affect how you yourself age and even how long you live? That’s exactly what Becca Levy has found through her research. She explains these thoughts in her book Breaking the Age Code. Levy’s research shows that in cultures where elders are revered, older people perform better and have lower rates of dementia. She has also found that individuals with positive outlooks on aging will walk faster, be more engaged, have better memories and live longer – 7.5 years longer, on average. She points out that older workers are more dependable. They have less turnover, less absenteeism and fewer accidents. They also know how to frame problems and create accountability for results. Unfortunately, our American culture leads us to diminish ourselves. We expect to decline as we age, and that’s how we behave. Soon we start to decline, reinforcing this self-fulfilling prophecy. The media bemoans the “burden” that seniors place on the economy. But in reality, seniors are wealthier, and they spend more than other age categories – thereby increasing economic activity. Seniors have more experience and knowledge, which can make them more productive. Creativity also increases as we age. So how do we combat this ageism on an individual level? One way to confront your own ageism is to think of a positive role model for aging. There’s plenty of them on our team. (Some are prettier than others.) After reading this enlightening book, I imagine that older people can be like the athletes on our Villages Track & Field team. My five words are now: fast, athletic, friendly, wise, and happy. ~~Tom Rewolinski
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Part 1: These Games are as Good as it Gets Every two years, elite athletes from around globe compete in the World Track and Field Championships (a.k.a. “The Worlds”). This summer, for the first time, The Worlds took place in the U.S.
You couldn’t ask for a better host city than Eugene, Oregon, which has earned its longtime reputation as Track Town USA. My husband Tom and I have run in several masters meets there (many loooonnng years ago) and always enjoyed the enthusiastic and track-savvy spectators and organizers. The University of Oregon’s Hayward Field, one of America’s most hallowed track venues, has been completely renovated. It now provides a world-class setting for athletes and spectators alike. Combine the friendliness of local volunteers with the best coaches, trainers and fans from all over the world, and you get a vortex of energy that can – and did – push athletes to a whole new level. --Leah Rewolinski Read on for more. I've provided all four parts of this series at once, so you can binge-read. Scroll down for Part 2: Witnessing Greatness. Tom and I have been among the fortunate spectators at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton, Alberta. So when The Worlds were scheduled for Eugene, Oregon, we knew they’d be another must-see. Tom spent hours upon hours planning the trip and obtaining tickets for many segments from July 15 to 24.
To put it mildly, these games did not disappoint. Here’s some of the greatness we witnessed firsthand. --Sydney McLaughlin’s 400-meter hurdles world record. WOW! --The women’s 4x100 meter relay, in which the U.S. underdogs narrowly edged out sprinting superpower Jamaica. --The U.S. men’s sweep (gold, silver and bronze) of the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints. USA! USA! USA! --The U.S. men’s sweep in the shot put. Lots of back & forth in that contest kept things interesting. --The women’s high jump. Tom reserved our seats in the perfect spot for this event. Watching high jumpers in person, you’re struck by how incredibly lithe they are, with their long limbs and superb gymnastic form. They love to encourage rhythmic clapping among the fans for their run-ups, and we were more than happy to oblige. Three women from Ukraine competed in the high jump, and one – Yaroslava Mahuchikh – won the silver medal. It’s sobering to consider what they must have gone through physically and mentally to train while their country is at war. ~~Leah Rewolinski BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! With pictures! Scroll down for Part 3: Fun with Fans in the Stands Mingling and people-watching is a special treat at The Worlds. You might see athletes from the Italian team walking down the concourse…hear foreign languages spoken on the grounds outside…and notice spectators’ t-shirts from school track teams all over the U.S. as well as nostalgic themes (“Stop Pre” was a favorite). The organizers cleverly captured this social aspect with their “Hello WORLD. MEET Eugene” graphic. In keeping with Eugene’s cool vibe, Legend the mascot was edgy and funny. When the stadium-cam screen showed a woman with a sign that said “Legend – my daughter is single,” Legend climbed to their upper-level seats and got down on one knee to propose. Legend also held up goofy posters, jumped on and off railings like a skateboarding kid, somersaulted and danced. All this under a glaring sun with temps in the mid to upper 80s. Makes you wonder how many brave clowns took turns powering the Legend costume and whether they needed treatment for heat exhaustion. Yes, folks, the heat was hot (to quote a famously dumb song lyric). Most of our seats along the back stretch faced the searing late-afternoon sun: by and large, the only sections available and affordable to the general public when tickets went on sale a year ago.
Sunblock was only the beginning. We learned to carry absorbent towels, wet them at the ubiquitous water bottle filling faucets, and drape them all over. Does it look like I’m channeling my inner Lawrence of Arabia? The people sitting around me didn’t seem impressed. Tom’s endurance strategy focused on Pepsi over ice. He bought three $7.50 souvenir cups in three days. We brought them home, and they’re now available at auction with a reserve price of $21.50 each (Pepsi not included). Put in your bid today. Two concession stands were named after famous University of Oregon athletes: Ashton’s Eatin’s (two-time Olympic decathlete champion Ashton Eaton) and English’s Garden (English Gardner, whose 10.74 PR ranks her in the top ten all-time in the 100 meters). Hair Today, Fun Tomorrow During the 100-meter women’s heats, a Jamaican fan sitting next to Tom observed that Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce could run even faster “if she wasn’t carrying four pounds of hair.” Her infamous haircolor changes were evident each time she stepped on the track: orange, pink, green, yellow, yellow with green. Afterward, she explained that she had packed 10 wigs, colored and styled in Jamaica, in her luggage for Eugene. And hair weight hasn’t kept her from becoming one of the greatest sprinters of all time, as well as leading a Jamaican sweep of The Worlds’ podium in the women’s 100m final, with Shericka Jackson earning silver and Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah taking bronze. As for hair color, Shelly-Ann said, “I want to show young girls that it’s okay to be different and have your personality.” The Hayward Field of Dreams One final note about the venue: Hayward Field was remodeled in 2018. Even though it had fallen into disrepair, some people opposed any changes, citing the iconic look, feel and history of the stadium. We understand nostalgia, sure. But having watched the U.S. Olympic track and field trials there in 2008, sitting on rickety old wooden seats in which our knees bumped the back of the person sitting in front of us (and our own backs were kneed by the person behind), we weren’t sorry to learn of the update. Seating capacity expanded from 12,650 to 25,000. The new stadium is beautiful – and beautifully functional. Every year the University of Oregon hosts the Prefontaine Classic, an Oregon Track Club event. One of the premier track and field meets in the United States, it draws a world-caliber field. You might want to add this to your bucket list. -- Leah Rewolinski NEXT Scroll down for the final post in this series, Part 4: Getting There and Back Again We love RV travel, especially out west. So for The Worlds games, Tom meticulously planned our longest RV trip ever: 5,200 miles over 3 weeks.
Beautiful Spaces We savored all the natural beauty, from cool evergreen forests on the Oregon coast…to spectacular peaks in Grand Teton National Park…the world’s longest floating boardwalk (just under one mile) in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho…and canyons, sagebrush, unbroken prairie skylines, buttes and mesas in places we’d never seen before. Fabulous Finds The Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota, a kitschy encounter with America’s favorite canned meat. And yes, they’re in on the joke from Monty Python’s “Viking café” skit. Best hotel name The C’mon Inn, Casper, Wyoming. A combine demolition derby In this event, advertised in Lind, Washington, farmers ram their beat-up rigs (pronounced COM-bines) and try to crush each other. Sadly, the date didn’t fit our schedule. Maybe next time. Best municipal claim to fame Out on the lone prairie in southeastern Montana, the highway marker said “Lost Springs – Population 6.” Things We Learned the Hard Way Fierce crosswinds are common in South Dakota; we knew this from previous RV trips. It’s no surprise that maneuvering an 11-foot-tall box requires constant wrestling with the steering wheel. But this time we discovered that the Evil Force also lurked in Minnesota, Wyoming, Montana and eastern Oregon. A semi-truck traveling in the next lane doubles the difficulty. On the bright side, Tom’s upper body strength has doubled, too. Crosswinds = CrossFit. Sealed liquids (mayo, salad dressing, yogurt) don’t like repeated changes in altitude. Before opening the container, don an apron or a rain poncho. When transporting a vintage rosebush in the living quarters of your rig, don’t just wrap the roots. Wrap the thorny branches, too. Duhhh! ~~Leah Rewolinski |
your choiceIf you don't run, you rust. Leah rewolinskiThe Villages TLC Word Nerd & webmaster Archives
January 2025
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